In an interview with Sky News on Friday, Volodymyr Zelenskyj is asked if he can agree to a ceasefire in which Russia retains control over parts of Ukraine.
A condition for that is that the Ukrainian-controlled part of Ukraine receives NATO protection.
– It could be a solution to end the active part of the war, that the parts of Ukraine we control are taken under NATO’s umbrella, says Zelenskyj. He says such NATO protection is necessary to prevent Putin from returning.
Can’t give up land
In addition, Zelenskyj will retain the possibility to later negotiate a diplomatic solution to get back the rest of the Ukrainian territory.
– Legally, we have no opportunity to recognize occupied territory as Russian territory. It would be against our constitution, so we must not make a mistake here, emphasizes the president.
The statements come in response to a question about how he views President-elect Donald Trump’s plans to end the war. Reports in the US media suggest that such a plan involves Ukraine giving up occupied territory in exchange for NATO membership.
– It may be possible, but no one has made such an offer. And you can’t offer NATO membership to parts of a country either. In that case, you recognize that Ukraine is only that part, and that the rest is Russian, says Zelenskyj.
The first time
At the same time, Friday’s interview is the first time since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022 that Zelenskyi has opened for a ceasefire without Russia withdrawing completely. He has also insisted that the Crimean peninsula, which was illegally annexed by Russia in 2014, should be returned to Ukrainian control.
Russia controls about a fifth of Ukraine’s territory.
In the past, it has been said that Russian President Vladimir Putin is willing to negotiate on the basis that Russia will retain control over the occupied territories.